they die, nor when they have united with some church, or have been
baptised, but the moment men repent from their sins and accept the
Saviour as their Redeemer from all iniquity; for God's word says, "He
that believeth on the son _hath_ everlasting life."--John 3:36; and
"Ye _are_ all the sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus."--Gal.
3:26.

This new relation with God gives men a new motive. Under the law,
guilty, condemned by it, the motive was fear. But when men have been
redeemed from under the law and adopted as sons of God, the motive of
fear is no more the motive of life. "Ye have not received the spirit
of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

The motive of the son towards the father is not fear, but love. And
this love is produced by the fact that God, in love, provided this
great, wonderful plan for men, "having in love predestinated us for
adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself,"--Eph. 1:5, and the
fact that the Saviour loved us and gave Himself for us (Gal. 2:20).
Hence, Paul tells us, "The love of Christ [not the fear of the law,
nor the fear of Hell] constrains us; because we thus judge, that if
one died for all, then all died; and he died for all, that they who
live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died
for them, and rose again." Our Saviour, the night before His
crucifixion, made clear that this was to be the motive in the life of
God's children. In instituting the Lord's supper He said, "This is my
blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of
sins."--Matt. 26:28; then, following this, before leaving the supper
room, He said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments,"--John 14:15,
not, "if ye are afraid of the law, keep my commandments"; not, "if ye
are afraid of going to Hell, keep my commandments"; not, "if ye wish
to make sure of going to Heaven, keep my commandments"; but, "if ye
love me." But why love Him? Because "this is my blood of the new
covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins." That this
love, and that _this kind of love_ is clearly the motive power of the
real Christian life, notice the teaching of the Saviour in Luke 7:41,
43, "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors; the one owed
five hundred pence and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to
pay he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them
will love him most? Simon a